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Stat attack!: RBC Heritage review

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Apparently Matt Kuchar took issue with David Feherty’s comment on Sunday's edition of “Morning Drive” that nobody would be able to shoot a score as low as 64 in the final round of the RBC Heritage. Feherty opined that the rain and the wind would make Harbour Town GC a Sunday beast, but Kuchar begged to differ, his could-have-been-better, could-have-been-worse 7-under 64 giving him an 11-under 273 and a one-stroke victory over Luke Donald, who for the fifth time finished in the top three at Hilton Head without getting to don the tartan jacket. Kuchar’s 64 tied the record for best final round by a winner at the Heritage.

Best final-round score by a winner at the RBC Heritage

Score

Player

Year

64

Matt Kuchar

2014

64

Brandt Snedeker

2011

64

Brian Gay

2009

64

Stewart Cink

2004

Best final-round performances by Matt Kuchar

Score

Tournament

Finish

63

2010 Humana

T-2

64

2014 RBC Heritage

Won

64

2009 Humana

T-25

Kuchar’s Sunday score offset a second-round 73, which was one of the highest final-round scores by a winner in 2013-14 and one of seven rounds over par by an eventual winner on Tour this year.

The victory was Kuchar’s fourth straight top-10 finish and culminates a month where the now seven-time PGA Tour winner could have – some might say should have – won every time. Kuchar was T-4 at the Valero Texas Open, second at the Shell Houston Open and fifth at the Masters. He held the lead on Sunday in the Texas events and was one stroke back of the 54-hole leaders at the Masters. He is the first player with top-10 finishes in four consecutive PGA Tour events since Ryan Moore in 2012. (Unlike Kuchar, who played all four weeks, Moore and Dustin Johnson, who also accomplished the feat in 2012, had built in off-weeks during their streaks, as their runs came partially during the PGA Tour Playoffs.) Here are the players with three straight weeks in the top 10 since 2013.

Most consecutive weeks with top-10 finishes since 2013

Weeks

Player

Year

Tournaments

4

Matt Kuchar

2013-14

T-4-Texas, 2-Houston, 5-Masters, 1-Heritage

3

Zach Johnson

2013-14

1-Hyundai, T-8 Sony, T-3 Humana

3

Brandt Snedeker

2013

T-2-Farmers, 2-Phoenix, 1-Pebble

3

Charles Howell III

2013

T-3 Sony, T-2 Humana, T-9 Farmers

3

Daniel Summerhays

2013

T-9 Greenbrier, T-4 John Deere, T-2 Sanderson Farms

3

Graeme McDowell

2013

T-5 Match Play, T-9 Honda, T-3 Doral

3

Jim Furyk

2013

T-9 Canada, T-9 Bridgestone, 2-PGA

3

Scott Stallings

2013

T-4 Colonial, T-4 Memorial, T-2 FedEx St. Jude

3

Zach Johnson

2013

T-4 Bridgestone, T-8 PGA, T-5 Wyndham

In his four-week run, Kuchar has finished in the top 10 in greens in regulation twice and driving accuracy three times. His putting – as might be expected from anyone watching his stunning three-putt from four feet on the 17th hole Sunday at Hilton Head – has been unremarkable.

Matt Kuchar’s statistical ranking the last four weeks

Tournament

Driv. Dist.

Accuracy

GIR

Putts per round

Scrambling

Texas

60

7

T-28

T-5

5

Houston

49

26

1

T-44

T-58

Masters

46

T-7

T-14

T-16

8

Heritage

56

T-7

1

T-36

11

Season rank

152

31

33

T-61

16

Kuchar’s comeback Sunday made a bridesmaid of Luke Donald at the Heritage for the third time. He has finished in the top three at Harbour Town five times without winning. There is only one other player with five top-three finishes, but no wins, at the same PGA Tour event since 2000. You know who he is. He’ll try to end his drought at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in June.

Most top-three finishes in one event without winning: 2000-2014

Player

Top 3s

Tournament

Seconds

Thirds

Luke Donald

5

RBC Heritage

2009, 2011, 2014

2010, 2013

Phil Mickelson

5

U.S. Open

2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013

Mike Weir

4

AT&T Pebble Beach

2005, 2009

2003, 2006

Charles Howell III

4

Sony Open

2007, 2012

2005, 2013

Vijay Singh

4

WGC-Cadillac

2003, 2008

2000, 2002

Harbour Town’s smallish green complexes yielded its usual low number of putts. Chesson Hadley and Jordan Spieth led the field with 102 putts. They are among the fewest putts taken at a tournament in 2013-14.

Fewest putts, one tournament 2013-14

Putts

Player

Tournament

Finish

100

James Driscoll

Humana

T-18

101

Scott Langley

Humana

T-18

101

Will Mackenzie

Valero Texas

T-2

102

Chad Collins

Humana

T-8

102

Brian Harman

Northern Trust

T-3

102

John Daly

Sony Open

T-32

102

Pat Perez

Valero Texas

T-11

102

Chesson Hadley

Heritage

T-38

102

Jordan Spieth

Heritage

T-12

Antonini is a contributing writer who provides statistical information on the PGA Tour.